Beautiful! Hopeful! Heart-breaking! I love Rainbow Rowell, and always have since I discovered Fangirl as a teen. This was lovely and a great addition to her collection.

I really loved Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately, I was not blown away. It could be a quick read if you can stand the FMC. I struggled to pick it up because she was so insufferable. The entire book is a miscommunication trope which is more than annoying at this point. The reading community has clearly established that we hate this trope, so I don’t know why authors keep writing stories like this. Even as adults, they can’t communicate. We have evolved as humans, just stop! None of the writing was really great enough to remember, nothing really profound. Short, choppy sentences, kind of felt like I was still reading YA but the characters were adults? Would not recommend and probably won’t read anymore from this author going forward.
*I will not be sharing this negative on public platforms out of respect for the author*

4.25 stars

I loved this so much. I loved her kids, the romance, the "before's", everything........... but I just couldn't get behind the let's not really speak for years then see each other again, hang out and talk and then a few months later without even dating get engaged. I just couldn't vibe with that and it lost me a tad, which is honestly the only reason this isn't 5 stars, I just wish it followed "the normal formula" I guess. It's still very sweet and I was all in but yeah idk maybe I'm not a huge romantic like that.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for this eARC!

I couldn't stop thinking about Slow Dance after. I finished it. The book follows estranged high school best friends Shiloh and Cary, now in their early 30s, as they reunite at their close friend Mikey's wedding. From there the novel flips back to Cary and Shiloh (and Mikey) in their teens as they formed an intimate bond but never actually got around to dating, and the present where Cary is a career Navy officer navigating his career and caring for his ailing mom while Shiloh is a divorced mom of two. As the come face to face for the first time in nearly a decade they must contend with the miscommunications that tore them apart and navigate a future—together or otherwise. This was really heartfelt and lovely, exploring the ties that bind and how silence can often speak volumes—and is ripe for misinterpretation. I found myself rooting for Cary and Shiloh at all ages of their lives and really loving their deep connection with each other and their third musketeer, Mikey.

I was so excited to see Rainbow Rowell had a new book coming out and was thrilled to get a copy on NetGalley. Shiloh, a divorced mother of two, and Carey, a naval officer, were joined at the hip in high school. After years apart, they reconnect at a best friend's wedding. This is a beautiful, poignant, character-driven story about trusting yourself, about love over time, and new beginnings. I could not put it down!

Nobody writes nostalgia quite like Rainbow Rowell. Though it’s been many years since I read Eleanor and Park, the relationship between Shiloh and Cary instantly transported me back to that book. There are a few parallels, but Shiloh and Cary’s friendship holds strong even without the comparison. This book was a slow burn (appropriate given the title), but romance carried through in every page and kept the narrative flowing. I was initially skeptical about where the story was going. However, over the course of the book, I decided to stop anticipating the end and just enjoyed the journey of Shiloh and Cary.

The characters were beautifully developed — partially through their story now but also via flashbacks to high school and college — and you really see how these two friends, who were so very close at a certain time in their life, couldn’t help but find each other again as adults. I especially loved it because Shiloh’s voice in their email correspondence reminded me of my best friend and made me love Shiloh even more for it.

I can’t wait to actually purchase this book when it comes out this summer. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC!

Y'all. Rainbow Rowell's latest adult fiction novel is superb.

We meet a pair in their 30s. Both on eggshells around each other. Neither knowing what to do or want or say.

And we go back and forth in time with them.

"Back in high school, everybody thought Shiloh and Cary would end up together ... everybody but Shiloh and Cary.

They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh’s porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha—Shiloh would go to go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change.

Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed."

Rowell's language and characters are a soft hug into an unsure world. I found myself emotional while reading it. I cheered for them, my heart broke for them. I saw myself in them.

I encourage anyone to take this journey with them.

Childhood best friends Shiloh and Cary are the only 2 people in town that don't know they're in love with each other. While their lives diverge for over a decade, a wedding brings them back into each other's lives. Fear of rejection and familial obligations keep their stars from aligning, but Shiloh and Cary simply can't keep themselves from turning to each other, over and over again. Beautiful second-chance/coming of age romance from Rowell.

It’s taken me over two weeks to get 40% into this book. I just cannot keep going. I have LOVED so many of Rainbow’s book so when I received the ARC for this, I was so excited. Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. The miscommunication in this book is ridiculous. The main characters waste soooooo much time when they really just need to have a real conversation. Aside from that the characters were extremely unlikeable. I could not stand Shiloh at all. Because of this, I cannot keep reading to see what happens.

I’m a huge Rainbow Rowell fan so when I saw this available I immediately hit request! I squealed with delight when I was approved.

I enjoyed this one! Eleanor & Park and her Simon Snow trilogy will forever be my favorites but this story was good and I really liked the dual POV. One of the things I like about Rainbow Rowell’s stories is how effortless they feel. I know the miscommunication trope is not everyone’s cup of tea but she handles it well here. I thought the story of Shiloh and Cary’s relationship felt realistic and I was in no way rooting for them less because of it.

I will forever read RR and recommend her to everyone!

Cary and Shiloh are best friends from high school who meet again at a mutual friend’s wedding following a fifteen year estrangement. Chapters swap back and forth from the past to the present as Rowell details the relationship of this will-they-or-won’t-they pair. I enjoyed the writing and the story, though I found Shiloh’s personality to be irritating on many occasions. I didn’t particularly enjoy the scenes from the past while the characters were in high school, but it was harder to put the book down once we got the present. I think if you have liked Rainbow Rowell’s earlier books like Eleanor and Park and Landline, then you should enjoy this. If you are bothered by miscommunication tropes and couples being unreasonably difficult to get past their stuff and get together finally, you may want to proceed with caution. I particularly found the sex scene to be so cringy to read because Shiloh is being so difficult and it’s almost like she wants to push Cary away still. I wish we had delved into her hang-ups the way we got to see Cary’s based on his family life and upbringing.

As someone who has been a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell's previous standalone novels for adults, like Landline, I was ecstatic to learn that she had a new one on the horizon. And let me tell you, SLOW DANCE exceeded all of my expectations! The characters in this book felt incredibly genuine, with their raw emotions and relatable struggles. I found myself cheering them on right from the first page.

This book was definitely worth the anticipation, and I highly recommend it to others.

✅ Shiloh (33, single mom), Cary (33, in the Navy)
✅ dual timelines
✅ second chance
🌶️: no

For the first half, I wasn’t sure I even liked this book, but it was compelling enough to keep going. If you’re looking for a giddy, effervescent romance, this is not it. It’s frankly more litfic than romance even if it’s about the 2 main characters. It’s happy and sad and hopeless and hopeful all at the same time. Overall, I did enjoy it.

I loved seeing Rainbow Rowell return to the geeky yet raw and real relationships found in Eleanor & Park and Landline. I enjoyed the story and the character development.

Shiloh and Cary were best friends in high school, both poor kids from a bad neighborhood in Omaha, determined to escape and fulfill their dreams. During college, they eventually lose touch with each other, and as the book opens, Shiloh and Cary haven't talked in 14 years. Shiloh is a single mom of 2 young kids, living with her mom in her childhood home, and Cary is in the Navy, currently stationed in San Diego. Shiloh is hopeful she will see Cary at their high school friend's wedding, but will anything change if he is there? Slow Dance explores their current relationship, while also alternating into chapters from various points in their lives "before", in high school and college.
This is a slow burn book for me, from the beginning Shiloh and Cary have undeniable chemistry. As the book summary promised, this is a book about two kids who fell in love and lost it, and the book explores why things didn't work out between them in high school, while they dance around the possibility of picking up where they left off in the current timeline in the book. There's a good bit of character development as they work through their communication issues and move past some misunderstandings. As with previous books by Rainbow Rowell, it's well written and developed, although a bit slow moving at times. This is one I certainly enjoyed overall!
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

Rainbow Rowell's long-awaited return to adult fiction was worth the wait! This is a perfect pick for fans of a slow burn full of rich, empathetic characters.

Rainbow Rowell has long been a favorite author of mine, so diving into her latest work, Slow Dance, was a thrill. Shiloh and Cary, once tight high school pals, find themselves drifting after a college fling fizzles out. Fourteen years later, they reconnect to discover that old sparks still flicker, though their baggage - her kids, his Navy career, and their tangled history - adds complexity. Their journey unfolds like a slow dance, like the title, as they navigate rebuilding their relationship amidst life's chaos.

Rowell's knack for crafting authentic characters shines here; Shiloh and Cary leap off the page as flawed, intricate, and utterly human. This isn't a tidy tale with a perfect bow; it's messy, raw, and rich with depth. The backdrop of poverty adds layers, shaping the characters in profound ways. While the narrative structure might diverge from the norm, Rowell's signature style remains intact. It's reminiscent of YA, yet distinct in its maturity and complexity.

The reunion of childhood friends Cary and Shiloh, peppered with flashbacks, paints a vivid picture of their evolving dynamic. Their journey is marked by missteps, miscommunications, and genuine, relatable emotion. Their relationship, like them, is imperfect and real - a refreshing departure from cookie-cutter romcoms. Cary's perspective, though engaging, leaves a desire for more depth, especially given his pivotal role. Yet, his character remains enjoyable, albeit occasionally blurring with Shiloh's in an oddly charming way.

Rating Slow Dance proves to be quite challenging; while some aspects were a bit jarring, the overall experience was undeniably captivating. I'll settle on 4.5 stars, acknowledging its flaws while embracing its charm.

I was super duper excited for Slow Dance as I've loved many of Rainbow Rowell's previous books and have been waiting for her to write another adult novel. Unfortunately, Slow Dance wasn't really my cup of tea. I generally love slow books, so I don't think it was because the book moves slowly... I think it just moved slowly AND nothing really seemed to happen. I also don't love the miscommunication trope and there was A LOT of miscommunication in this book.

Shiloh and Cary were best friends in high school and it was always obvious there was something more there. But since they were immature teenagers who don't know how to communicate, nothing ever happens. Understandable. The book starts off with them reuniting at the wedding of a mutual friend many years later. Shiloh has been married and divorced and has two young kids. And Cary has made his dream come true of being in the navy. Will something happen now that they're seeing each other again after all these years?

The book jumps back and forth from present day to high school and college days and we get a lot of details about Shiloh and Cary's relationship and what happened to it over the years. I just felt like I wasn't really that interested. Nothing totally pulled me in to make me feel like the story was super unique and special (as Rowell's books have always seemed to do in the past) and I felt like I couldn't get a really good picture of who Shiloh was.

That said, lots of people have been loving this book, so definitely give it a read for yourself. Oh, and there are a couple reallyyy steamy moments if you're into that!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Overall I just didn't care for this book. I almost DNF'ed several times but figured I'd push though. I wish I had listened to my first instinct. I thought the two main characters, Shiloh and Cary, were pretty annoying. Shiloh was worse than Cary. I just never cared for her or what happened in their story.

Even though it's a coming of age story and a slow burn romance I felt like it was awkward and disjointed. And it wasn't just the awkwardness of a high school romance vs current day. The writing felt awkward and wasn't enjoyable to read.

Rainbow Rowell has a uniquie gift in which she is able.to pull forth emotions in her writing with the mist subtle turns of phrase and i am happy to report that Slow Dance is just as phenomenal as her others! I may be one of the only few people who prefers her adult books to her YA so its safe to say im obsessed with this one!!!!